Page 8 of Easter Daddy

Our eyes meet and I gasp softly before he looks down at my hand again.

“Four links.” His voice is husky as he trails his thumb on the inside of my wrist. “I’ll remove four of them.”

“Um. Thanks,” I say hoarsely before clearing my throat.

I don’t know what he’s doing to me, but I’ve never felt so aroused in my life. My core clenches with need, and it’s all I can do not to climb him like a tree and ask him to give me a different kind of gift.

My breath hitches and I lick my lips. I shouldn’t have done that, though, because his gaze is suddenly at half-mast and a muscle twitches in his jaw.

Apparently, it’s not just me. He feels it, too.

5

LIAM

Ipace in my old room. I finished fixing her watch fifteen minutes ago, but now, I don’t trust myself around her anymore. I almost, ALMOST, slammed my mouth to hers and crushed her small body to mine—fully aware that both our parents were in the same room.

Gritting my teeth, I scrub a hand over my face. I know I need to face her again. It will look suspicious if I leave without a word. But shit, my body seems to have a mind of its own. I can’t possibly go back to the party with this tent in my pants now, can I?

But I have to. It’s her birthday, for fuck’s sake, and I have to give her back her present.

“Fuck me,” I groan under my breath before finally exiting the room and heading out to meet them again.

She’s sitting on the couch, as beautiful as ever, waiting for me to return. When she sees me, her eyes light up and she smiles, making my heart slam in my chest. Half the time, I want to be buried deep inside her, and the other half, I feel the need to just be with her. Work has always consumed me, and each day was a series of documents, negotiations, strategies, and success.

With Lily, I find myself thinking of a different future. Still with an empire, of course, but with her by my side, housing my babies, living THE life. It’s completely different from the “me” a week ago and that thought unsettles me, so perhaps I should distance myself from her. I should try to avoid situations where I’m alone with her.

Then, I realize I am alone with her.

“Where is everyone?” I hand the watch back to her, and she puts it on her wrist.

“Your Dad drove my friends home. Mom went with him to say hi to Sara’s mom.”

“So it’s just us?” I ask her, realizing too late how my words sound.

She gulps. She’s nervous.

I made her nervous, and I feel guilty about it.

“Yes,” she says, and I just nod my head before taking a seat. Well, this is awkward. Really fucking awkward.

Here I am with the girl I like, neither of us willing to make a move because of how ridiculously inappropriate it would be to do such a thing. We both know that and we’re both fighting it hard. I clench my fists, trying to physically restrain myself from reaching out, pulling her onto my lap, and kissing her like a madman.

“So, do you want to go to the garden?” she asks me.

“The garden?”

She nods her head softly, looking at me with her big doe eyes. “Yes, I planted some elephant ears there.”

“When?”

“Last week.”

Blood is rushing in my ears, making it hard to follow this small talk.

It’s just her and me. We’re alone.

We can do whatever we want and nobody would know.

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